Engine cylinder



G. E. RUCKSTELL ENGINE CYLINDER Filed June INVENTOR. 6201 52 E. IQUC/(STELL BY 214mm M July 12, 1955 United States PatentO 2,712,812 ENGINE CYLINDER Glover E. Ruckstell, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Ruckstell Corporation, Los Angeles, Caiifi, a corporation of California Application June 26, 1951, Serial No. 233,596 Claims. (Cl. 121194) This invention relates to internal combustion engines and particularly to their cylinders.

Objects of the invention are to provide an internal combustion engine cylinder which is removably mounted on the crankcase and which is adjustable relative to the piston stroke to vary the compression in the cylinder; to provide a cylinder structure which can be readily replaced if damaged or worn; to provide a cylinder which can be adjustably rotated relative to the crankcase; to provide readly alignment of overhead valves carried by the cylinder head with the valve operating mechanism; to provide a cylinder structure including cooling means therefor and a locking mechanism for securing the cylinder in place, wherein the cooling means and locking portion of the mechanism are bonded to the cylinder and to each other, thereby permitting the use of relatively thin cylinder Walls and thereby facilitating head dissipation; and to provide a cylinder structure including means for supporting valve operating devices such as rocker arms.

The above and other objects and advantages will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a cylinder of my invention and a portion of a crankcase.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the cylinder in an adjusted position for securing higher compression.

Fig. 3 is a View on a reduced scale, partially in side elevation and partially in section of an assembly of the cylinder with the valves and rocker arms indicated.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line IV of Fig. 2.

In the drawing there is shown a crankcase 6 made up of sections 8 and 10 connected by studs 12. The crankcase has an opening 14 formed therein which is circular to receive a cylinder indicated generally at 16. Around the lower part of the opening 14 is a flat annular surface 18 and on the outer side of the crankcase is a complementary flat annular surface 20.

The cylinder 16 is shown with a piston 22 therein and to which is secured a connecting rod 24. The lower end of the connecting rod is connected by a suitable bearing not shown to a conventional crankshaft, not shown. The cylinder 16 includes a cylindrical body 26 which comprises a single piece of metal, usually steel. The outer diameter of the cylinder body 26 is uniform from its lower end upwardly to a shoulder 28 which is formed by a thickened upper portion 30. Said upper port on is threaded as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to receive a cylinder head 32 having a chamber 34 formed therein and which. comprises part of the combustion chamber.

A stack of heat dissipating fins 36 is mounted on the cylindrical member 26. Each of the fins is laminated as indicated, by spacer rings 38. The fins 36 and spacers 38 are suitably bonded to the cylindrical body 26 as by brazing and the fins and rings are also bonded to each other. The details of the fin structure are not disclosed herein since they comprise the subject matter of in the space between the rings an invention shown and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 182,703, filed September 1, 1950, and entitled Engine Cooling Fin Assembly, now abandoned.

The fins 36 terminate some distance above the lower end of the cylinder 16. On the lower end of said cylinder is a sleeve 40, the sleeve being brazed to the cylinder body 26. The upper end of the sleeve 40 abuts against the lowermost fin 36, as best shown in Fig. 4, and at the point of contact the sleeve and fins are preferably brazed and the piston 22 more nearly approaches the inner portion of the cylinder head 32 than in the arrangement of Fig. 1. Thus the engine can be easily converted from 2. This change in compression is valuable in cases Where an engine is originally set up to operate on high octane gasoline at high compressions but can be quickly converted in the event the high octane gasoline is not available.

It should appear obvious that when the cylinder is installed and removed it is necessary to loosen the clamping nut 46 and separate the crankcase sections 8 and 10, whereupon the cylinder is full detached from the crankcase.

In the drawing there is shown, below the fins 36, a pair of spaced rings 50 which form an annular guide about the lower medial portion of the cylinder 16. These rings are secured to the upper portion of the sleeve 40 rather than directly to the cylinder body 26. Located 50 is a ring-like member 52 which is split and whose halves are connected by a stud 54 as indicated in Fig. 3. Extending outwardly thence upwardly from the ring-like member 52 are brackets 55 which support rocker arms 56 on pivot pins 58. The horizontal leg of each of the rocker arms 56 rests upon a push rod 60 in a guide 62. The push rod 60 is actuated in any suitable manner known in the art, usually from a cam shaft. The upper leg of each rocker arm 56 bears against a valve stem 64 mounted for re ciprocation in the cylinder head 32.

Since the engine cylinder 16 is detachable from the crankcase 6 and in view of the fact that it is circular, said cylinder can be rotated in the crankcase opening 14. Consequently when the cylinder is installed it can be rotatably adjusted in position so that the valve stems 64 will properly line up with the rocker arms 56. In like manner the ring-like support 52 for the rocker arm brackpurposes due to the ets 54 can be adjusted about the cylinder. Furthermore, this rotational adjustment permits the same cylinder assembly to be used in engines where the valves reciprocate on aXes in line with a bank of cylinders or on axes transverse to a bank of cylinders. It merely requires positioning. of the cylinder at one or two points 90" from each other.

' It will be seen that I have provided a cylinder construction which has high heat dissipating efficiency cou pled with strength. and lightness. It is a structure which permits ready adjustment of, cylinder compression and it supports rocker arm assemblies in a simple and compact arrangement. The ready adjustment of compression is particularly valuable for use in engines for military fact that it can quickly be accommodated to the use of what is properly termed high test or low test gasoline.

: It will, of course, beunderstood that various changes can'be made in the form and details without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with an internal combustion engine crankcase having a cylinder receiving opening, of a cylinder whose lower end is received in the opening,

the cylinder having an external radial flange about its of the cylinder between the lower end of larger size than the crankcase opening, a

thread about the cylinder having at least a portion disposed to lie externally of the crankcase wall, a nut on the thread, and a removable shim about the cylinder between the nut and the flange, the shim being capable of the nut and the crankcase to create a and the shim also the flange and the placement between lower compression cylinder position,

being capable of location between crankcase to create a higher compression cylinder position.

2. The structure in claim 1, and the crankcase being divided along a plane intersecting the crankcase open- 3. The structure'in claim 1, and said shim being split. 4. In an internal combustion engine cylinder for use with a crankcase having a wall, said wall having an opening therein, said cylinder having a lower open end adapted to be fitted to the crankcase opening and an upper I head end which projects from the crankcase when the open end is fitted to said crankcase: a flange projecting radially outward from the cylinder, a threaded portion on the outside of the cylinder between the flange and the head end, and a nut on the threaded portion to grip the crankcase between it and the flange when the nut is tightened, thereby mounting the cylinder to the crankcase.

5. In combination, an engine crankcase having a wall, said wall having an opening therein, said wall being split along a plane intersecting the crankcase opening so that the crankcase can be divided at the opening, and an internal combustion engine cylinder for use with said crankcase having a lower open end adapted to be fitted to the crankcase opening and an upper headend which projects from the crankcase when the open end is fitted to said crankcase, a flange projecting radially outward from the cylinder, a threaded portion on the outside flange ndthe head en and a not on the threaded portion to grip the crankcase between it and the flange when the nut is tightened, thereby mounting the cylinder to the crankcase.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,057,063 Knudsen Mar. 25, 1913 1,093,659 Thornley Apr. 21, 1914 1,532,788 Vandervell Apr. 7, 1925 1,896,098 Poyer u Feb. 7, 1933 2,137,391 Chilton Nov. 22, 1938 2,189,600 Daub Feb. 6, 1-940 2,226,595 Swenson Dec. 31, 1940 2,276,393 Hill et al Mar. 17, 19.42 2,374,380 Rodgers Apr. 24, 1945 2,400,575 Schwartz May 21, 19.46 2,525,131 Hallett Oct. 10, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 424,671 France Mar. 16, 1911 739,716 France ,l Ian. 16, 1933 

